


the sound of stepping on fallen leaves

by Aryll (skullsandfairylights)



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 13:47:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18993853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skullsandfairylights/pseuds/Aryll
Summary: The sound of the summer rain that began to fall,and the sound of stepping on fallen leaves,it was you who were listening to them right next to me.*Based on Ending 15*





	the sound of stepping on fallen leaves

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this work has taken almost 4 years. I started writing this on the 7th of August 2015 and have tried to write it on and off as I have ebbed and flowed in and out of writing. 
> 
> This may be out of character (due to not having consumed Fairy Tail content in years) and there may be some things that don't make sense in terms of continuity so please if you notice anything, let me know! 
> 
> But please, enjoy!

Autumn had come in quick that year. It had seemed like the seasons had hopped over summer, skipping straight from spring to autumn. The leaves which had just bloomed and taken on their bright green hue now took on shades of red, orange and gold. The parks in Magnolia were coated in the fresh-fallen leaves, leaving no space clear. Despite being so close to winter, the sun still shone brightly, allowing some enjoyable, warmer temperatures.

          _It’s just like that day_ , Lucy thought as she sat on the stone bench beneath the main city park’s signature tree tunnel.

~

The blonde stood on the cliff, staring out at the horizon as the wind wrapped her hair around her neck like a scarf. She could feel the sting in the eyes, caused both by the tears and the salt spray. She still couldn’t completely believe what had happened. It was fresh in her mind and just thinking about it brought on a fresh bout of tears.

          She had trusted him which, looking back, was probably a bad idea considering how he was before they had started their relationship. She knew what he was like. Even before they started dating. She had scolded him many times when he turned up to hang out and all he did was laugh and boast about the girl he had most recently hooked up with. She had constantly had to snap him back to reality when his eyes seemed glued to some passing girl’s chest. It had been that way since she had first met him, even back in high school.

          Back then, it had always been the four of them, _him_ , Leo and Ariana - though they more commonly, went by Loke and Aries, respectively - and Lucy. Both guys had always had a flirty, womanizing streak but unlike _him_ , Loke could keep his under control. Lucy guessed that was why Aries was so lucky. Eventually though, like with all close-knit friendship groups, they started to split into couples. Loke had liked Aries and was delighted when he gathered up his courage, with a little help from Lucy, and asked her out for her to reveal that she had liked him for a while too. After that, they had become the epitome of a perfect couple. They rarely fought and when they did, it only took a day or two for them to get over it, usually by speaking it through with one of their other two friends only to realise that they were being stupid.

          As Lucy had watched her friends fall more in love, it made her jealous. She saw how perfectly they acted together and wondered why she couldn’t have something like that, herself. But throughout it, she tried to be happy for her friends.

          It got easier when finally, _he_ asked her out, and Lucy accepted. The group of four friends then became the group of two couples who went out on double dates and hung out just like they had done before. Lucy was happy then. She had someone who cared for her, as Loke cared for Aries. They went out on dates without the other couple, usually to the movies or sometimes out to dinner.

          She probably should have noticed when his habit of looking at girl’s chests didn’t fade now that she was his girlfriend. While she scanned the menu of the fancy restaurant he had insisted on - stating “only the best for my girl” when she would’ve been perfectly happy with a fast food restaurant or take-away -, he was scanning the waitresses as they passed by, arms laden with food. When she did catch him in the act, he would apologise and that would be that. She didn’t think that the looking would go any farther.

          Then she caught him.

 

They were supposed to meet up in the park, near their favourite cafe before they headed off to spend the day together before university started and they wouldn’t have as much time together - one of the downsides to attending different universities. The park wasn’t that far from his house and when Lucy had gotten bored of sitting around waiting, she decided to just walk to his place and see what was causing the hold-up.

          She should’ve guessed when she walked into the house - through the unlocked door - and found a few articles of clothing dropped around the dark hallway. But, due to the low light, she assumed that it was one of her bras - one of her favourite bras was a dark blue like that - that she had left by mistake, lying where it had fallen from the washing basket as he had attempted to clean up. She should’ve gotten a clue when the clothing seemed to make a trail, up the stairs. She should’ve gotten a clue when she saw the door ajar - he had always hated the door being open while he slept. She should’ve known what had happened when she peeked through the gap and she could see the outlines of two bodies, not one.

          But maybe there was some truth behind her friends’ teasing over her being a bit slow sometimes.

          And maybe that was why, instead of turning around and leaving the house, vowing to end things and never see him again, Lucy pushed lightly on the door.

          There, in the bed, lay two teenagers. The dark-skinned guy was on his stomach, one arm hanging off the edge of the bed, brushing the floor with each breath. He was turned away from Lucy, facing the window which was partially covered by the curtain. On his left, closest to Lucy, was a girl. She was lying on her side, facing him, back to Lucy. Her long, cobalt-coloured hair was a bit of a mess, but it looked more like organised chaos than a full-on bad hair day.

          Lucy stood in shock. She stared, eyes gliding from the unknown girl over to her now ex-boyfriend. When she noticed that he started to stir, Lucy suddenly turned and fled the room, the door swinging back to hit against the wall, startling the occupants of the bed into the land of the living.

          Lucy didn’t stop running. As she reached the corner of the street, she expected to hear his voice. Yelling out like a scene from some cliched rom-com. Pounding feet on the pavement as he chased her, hands outstretched to catch her arm or something that would stop her from leaving.

          But all Lucy could hear was the birds overhead and the dull thundering of cars from the centre of town. She continued to run until she made it to her favourite cafe. It was a quiet, pretty place. It had a balcony with outdoor seating that overlooked the lake at the centre of the park. She took a seat quickly at a small table near the railing, slumping onto the white-painted metal seat. She placed her handbag on the table and slid out her phone. Right now, there were only two people that Lucy wanted to speak to. Knowing they would be together and that Loke was more likely to answer his phone, she sent her favourite couple a text:

 

**[LUCY:]**

_Hey, are you guys free right now?_

 

She rested her hands on the table, staring at the small screen. She felt tiny nudges on the back of her fingers and turned her phone around to find the small collection of phone charms. Three little cat figurines, each posed in a sitting position with a string poking from their head to attach them to the phone. One was white and wearing a pink dress. Another was blue, with a white stomach and green bag on its back. And the last was black, with a white mouth, gruff expression and dark olive-green shorts. They were nicknamed Carla, Happy and Pantherlily, respectively and each reminded Lucy of her three best friends. Carla reminded Lucy of Aries, while Happy reminded her of Loke.

          She stared at the black cat figure. It reminded her of him. And she really didn’t want to think of him right now. As she reached to touch it, her phone buzzed in her hands, startling her from her thoughts. She flipped the phone around and opened the new message from Loke:

 

**[LOKE:]**

          _sorry luce, aries + i are about to go in and see the matinee showing of that new play aries has been goin on about. we were up @ 6 to catch the train to hargeon. everything ok?_

 

          _Of course, they were busy. They weren’t just there for her_ , Lucy thought as she typed a quick reply, stating that everything was fine, and she would catch up with them when they were back. Aries had been talking near-constantly about a new play that was touring the country called The Spirit of the Zodiac King. She couldn’t remember what it was about exactly, but she knew that Aries really wanted to see it and that Loke was lucky to manage to get tickets before they sold out.

          She tapped out of her conversation and her eye caught the person she had texted before Loke. It was _him_. She tapped into the conversation and pulled up his contact page. She stared hard at the number, contemplating whether she should just delete his number now or whether she should try to hear him out.

          Before she could decide, her attention was drawn when a tall glass of strawberry milkshake was placed on the table in front of her. She jolted to look up and saw a waiter that she had seen multiple times working in the cafe. He was dressed in his white shirt, grey waistcoat and trousers, the uniform for the cafe. But he personalised it by always wearing a thick white scarf, even on the hottest Summer days. His hair stood out the most. It was bright pink and stuck out in spikes. He smiled at her and turned to go back inside when she caught his arm, “Wait!”

          He turned back, “Yes?”

          “I didn’t order this. I haven’t ordered anything.” She explained, gesturing to the glass of milkshake.

          “I know, but I thought you could use a pick-me-up. It hurts to see pretty girls crying.” Lucy frowned, but before she could say that she wasn’t, he reached out and slide a finger up her cheek. When she looked at his hand, she saw the liquid on his index finger, clear evidence that she had, in fact, been crying.

          Quickly, Lucy grabbed one of the napkins from the centre of the table and started to dab at her eyes, hoping to cover her rosy cheeks at the same time - how could she not have realised that she had been crying?

          Once she thought that her face was dry enough, she scrunched up the napkin and placed it on the table beside her bag before reaching in, to grab her purse. As she started to pull it out, a hand covered hers. She looked up at the waiter who simply said, “It’s on the house.” before turning and heading inside the cafe. She watched him go, looking in through the windows at the pink hair. He walked up to the main counter where the Strauss sisters were sitting. She had come here so often that she knew the owner’s granddaughters who worked in the cafe as a chef and a waitress by name. Mirajane was the older of the granddaughters and worked mostly as a chef while Lisanna manned the till and worked as a waitress during busy periods.

          She could see the waiter lean against the counter, chatting amicably with Lisanna who was perched on the stool on the other side of the counter. Lucy exhaled quietly and pulled the glass towards her. She moved the red-and-white striped straw and sipped at the strawberry flavour. It was like magic, the way she began to feel a little better.

          She drank her milkshake slowly, watching the world go by and customers come and go. When she reached the bottom of her glass, Lucy picked it up and carried it inside. She handed it to Lisanna who took it, with a “thank you” before disappearing into the back, where the kitchen was. While Lucy was alone, she pulled out some jewels and dropped it into the jar labelled ‘TIPS’. It was probably more than what would normally be put in but after what had happened, she didn’t care.

           Once outside, her phone beeped in her pocket. Pulling it out, she noticed a new message from him:

 

**[BABE xoxo <3:]**

          _hey where r u?  we wer suposed 2 meet erlier_

 

Lucy felt a fresh sting behind her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to strengthen the resolve that she had. She felt a surge of anger and, without thinking, swung her arm back and chucked her phone. However, it was just as she felt the weight leave her hand that she realised that she would need her phone for contacting Loke and Aries when they got back. She dashed in the direction that she threw and heard, “Ow! What the-?”

          Eyes widening, she quickened her pace to find the waiter from the cafe rubbing his head, Lucy’s pink phone in hand. She approached him just as he turned around. “I am so sorry!”

          Instead of being angry or annoyed like she expected, he just smiled and held the phone out, “I guess this is yours, then?”

          Lucy ducked her head and reached out for the phone. “Yeah, I’m really sorry! I honestly didn’t mean to hit you.”

          He chuckled, “You often chuck your phone around?”

          “No, I just... I was a bit annoyed.”

          “Well, it’s a good thing I was able to slow its fall with my head, then, huh? I’m Natsu by the way.”

          “Hi, I’m Lucy.”

          “I know, you’re a bit of a regular at the cafe. Lis and Mira always seem surprised when you’re not there at least once a week. Though it was a bit of a surprise to see you today. I mean, usually, you’re followed by that cool guy and his girlfriend and that other guy, with the red and white hair?” Lucy suddenly found the gravel beneath her feet interesting. “Is that why you were crying?” Lucy looked up, just as the sun came out from behind a cloud. The blue sky created a perfect background for Natsu, the sun shining brightly on his hair and face.

          Instead of responding, Lucy just crumpled into Natsu who immediately wrapped her up in his arms. The minutes that passed felt like hours to the blonde who could only cover her eyes and revel in the comfort she received from the stranger. When Natsu began to rub Lucy’s back, instead of the awkward patting, she suddenly was brought to the present and pushed herself out of his arms.

          “I’m sorry!” She said, bowing gently at the hip. “I wasn’t- I mean, I didn’t mean to-” Lucy felt her cheeks flush as she desperately tried to wipe at her eyes with her hands. “Gods, this is so embarrassing.” She muttered as a tissue appeared in her vision, held out by hand.

          “Here, dry your eyes.” Natsu then carefully moved forward and dabbed gently at Lucy’s eyes. “It’s okay to cry you know. It’s not a sign of weakness.”

          “Yeah but I don’t even really know you so it’s weird. I shouldn’t be burdening you with my problems.”

“It’s not a burden if I want to help.” Lucy suddenly looked up and came face to face with the pink-haired waiter. He smiled kindly and helped the girl to dry her eyes more before he carefully wrapped his arms around her, pulling her towards his chest.

The two near-strangers stood like that for a while, before eventually moving away from the middle of the pathway, further into the park to the tree tunnel. They moved to sit on one of the stone benches and, to the outside world, they weren’t strangers. They were just another normal couple.

~

Weeks passed. _He_ tried contacting her. Texts. Phone calls. Even an email. But Lucy stayed strong and ignored the attempts. Eventually blocking his accounts.

The pain remained ever present and was only made worse by the constant reminders. Loke and Aries were sympathetic, but they had admitted that they weren’t surprised that something like this had happened. Apparently, the two males had had conversations where _he_ openly discussed the possibilities of sleeping with random women to Loke, sometimes even going so far as to try and convince the other to join him.  Loke had refused every time until eventually, _he_ stopped talking about it, though Loke suspected that the thoughts hadn't gone away.

When Lucy learned about what they had suspected, she was hurt. She had trusted her friends and they hid something so important. But she couldn’t stay mad at them for long, no matter how much she wanted to. While Lucy was influenced by her feelings, Natsu wasn’t and, after a long conversation, he managed to convince the blonde that her friends only had her best interests at heart.

That had been another thing that had happened over the weeks that passed. Lucy grew closer to Natsu. He had been the one to suggest she visit the cliff side. He had told her that it had helped him in the past when he was struggling in life, saying that it was a good place to forget the world and just think. It was like a completely different world.

And he was right. The cliff was secluded and mostly void of life. It was far enough away from the city that the everyday white noise of cars and shouting was muted, or at least drowned out by the crashing of the waves. When Lucy stood watching the horizon, she almost forgot her problems, just revelled in the beauty of the world. Lucy felt like she owed the pinkette big time. And not just for letting her into his thinking place.

Over the weeks, Natsu had practically become a constant in Lucy’s life. She found herself relying on him so much, so fast that she found herself feeling guilty for suddenly ingraining herself so strongly in his life. But Natsu showed no sign of regret. Whenever Lucy would apologise or ask if she was being a bother, he would vehemently deny it before sweeping her off her feet and running towards the nearest cafe to buy ice cream and pastries and hot chocolate for them both.

 

Natsu had also found himself a cosy place within Lucy’s group of friends; a place that previously belonged to a certain _someone_ who was to no longer be mentioned. And it wasn’t long before Natsu was being invited along to all of the group’s traditional activities and events.

Curling up on the sofa, eating handfuls of popcorn at Lucy’s flat during the monthly movie night. Trips to the Fiore Mall to stop Lucy from going broke by spending all of her money on books or, if Loke and Aries would tag along, spending hours in fabric shops for Aries’ sewing projects. Afternoon picnics in the park by the lake, laughing and playing frisbee until they gorged themselves into food comas.

Lucy’s café visits also became much more frequent. They went from being a weekly treat to nearly daily visits. Lucy was also beginning to question whether or not it was healthy to drink so much milkshake in one week, but she figured that all she needed to do was increase her morning jog route. Sure, it meant that she had to wake up earlier but the milkshakes and company that she got at the café were just too good. Whenever she arrived at the café, Lisanna or Mirajane would send her a smile before calling back into the kitchen where Natsu would in the process of cleaning or prepping for the day. There would then be a loud crash of pots and pans falling – which would cause the sisters to share a look before one walked back to clean up – and then Natsu would appear in the doorway wearing a wide, face-splitting grin. He would then pick up the milkshake prepared earlier and pull Lucy over to a table where the two would talk while Lucy drank her milkshake before she had run off to avoid being late for a lecture. Then when she finished with her studies for the day, Lucy could often be found heading back to the park to meet Natsu or back to the café to wait until he finished his shift.

It was on one of these visits that their lives and relationship changed.

Lucy arrived after a full day at university – she’d had a lecture in the morning, followed by a workshop, followed by another lecture in a different course and then a group-study session to work on a group presentation project. Natsu was on a late shift and would be there until closing. Lucy had walked up to the counter where Mirajane stood, dropped her bag to the floor and dropped her head to the counter with a groan.

“Busy day?” Mirajane asked with a smile.

“Why is it that whenever there’s a group project, that I’m always put with people who don’t give a crap about their grades?” Lucy turned her head, her face only visible through gaps in the strands of her hair.

“You’ll get through it, Lucy, I believe in you.” Mirajane’s aura then took a dark turn. “And if they don’t, just tell me who they are, and I’ll make sure they pay.” Lucy found that the look on the other’s face didn’t quite fit with her words and decided then and there that she did not want to cross Mirajane.

“Thanks, Mira. You know you can be quite scary sometimes?” Lucy asked. The other just smiled in response. “Anyway, is Natsu here?”

“Uh huh, he’s just helping Grampa in the back, he should be finished soon. You want a milkshake while you wait?”

“I shouldn’t. I’ve had too many this week. Do you have any healthier recommendations?”

“I could make you a smoothie?”  

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

“You go sit at your table and I’ll bring it over.” Lucy nodded and gathered up her bag before heading out onto the deck to sit at the table where she had first met Natsu. Since that first meeting, it had become a tradition to sit at this table. It was _their_ table.

Resting her chin on the palm of her hand, Lucy looked out over the park. A lot had changed since that first meeting and she was finding that she didn’t regret a second of it. She watched people move about the park, wondering about their lives and backstories. Were they as happy as she felt right now? Was that even possible?

She was so ingrained in her thoughts that she didn’t realise she wasn’t alone until the chair opposite moved out and Natsu sat himself down. He placed a glass down and Lucy realised that her own smoothie was already sitting in front of her.

“Hey, Natsu!” Upon noticing his serious expression, she asked, “Is everything alright?”

Rubbing his hands together, the pink-head nodded, “Uh, yeah-yeah! Everything’s good. . . I hope.” He mumbled the last bit, his gaze darting from Lucy to the people in the park and back again. Lucy’s brow furrowed.

“Somehow, I don’t believe you. But I trust you’ll tell me when you’re ready. So, anyway, how’s things?”

“Uh, yeah, good.” Natsu raised his shoulders and seemed to try and disappear into his scarf. Then all of a sudden, his shoulders dropped back and Natsu stated at Lucy, fire in his eyes. “Okay, I’m just gonna do this now.” Natsu exhaled loudly, “Right, here it goes.

“Lucy. I like you. Like, really like you.”

Lucy froze, eyes widening as she took in this new information. She must not have realised how much time had passed because suddenly, Natsu was saying, “Look, it’s cool if you don’t feel the same, or if it’s too awkward then I’ll respect your wish-“

“No! No, Natsu!” Lucy exclaimed, “It’s not- I’m just- I was in shock. I wasn’t expecting this. But I think I do feel the same. I like you too, Natsu.”

“Really?” Both Natsu and Lucy sported matched blushes – which made the Strauss sisters coo from their spot inside by the window – as they smiled at each other. The conversation was slow and stilted for a few minutes before they fell back into their usual level of comfortable banter.

An hour later, Natsu suddenly jolted upright as his hands went to his pocket. “I almost forgot! I have something for you. “You could say that I was optimistic about earlier and well- here.” In his hands, he held a silver chain on which hung a silver pendant, shaped like a bird on fire atop an arrow. It was beautiful and all Lucy could do was smile as she felt so grateful for the man sitting opposite her. He was perfect. He was the sound of stepping on fallen leaves.

**Author's Note:**

> Good endings? What are those?  
> Continuity? What's that?
> 
> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a kudos or a comment (all will be welcomed)!


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